The invention relates to venous catheter devices, and more particulary, to a single catheter device that may be used to infuse multiple fluids, including nourishment and drugs, crystalloids, colloids, and blood and/or blood products, simultaneously into a patient's vein. In addition, the catheter of the present invention may be used for central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring and/or removal of blood samples simultaneously with drug and/or fluid infusion. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to multi-lumen venous catheter devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 31,873 to Randolph M. Howes, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The Howes '873 patent discloses a multi-lumen venous catheter device having a distal end portion generally circular in cross-section and having a uniform outer diameter. The distal termini of lumens are spaced from each other. One lumen has a distal terminus adjacent the distal terminus of the catheter tube. The distal termini of the other lumens provide exits at lateral openings in the distal end portion of the catheter tube.
Since the catheter device shown in the Howes '873 patent has multiple lumens which are adapted for multiple and simultaneous operations through use of a single catheter tube, it provides a substantial advance over conventional venous catheter devices by reducing the number of catheter devices required to be inserted in a patient at a single time when performing multiple functions or procedures. It also prevents the drugs and fluids from mixing prior to entering the bloodstream thereby avoiding incompatibility problems. In addition, it minimizes patient discomfort and decreases the possibility of associated complications such as infection and bleeding.
Even though undesirable mixing is prevented and patient discomfort is minimized by this arrangement of longitudinally spaced lumen termini in a multi-lumen catheter tube with a uniform outer diameter, the fluid flux rate through the lumens is reduced relative to the fluid flux rate of some single lumen catheters previously available.
The catheters shown in the Howes '873 patent also create turbulence and provide sites for blood material such as platelets and red blood cells to accumulate or be deposited and form clots due to thrombus and fibrinogen accumulation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-lumen venous catheter device having the advantages of the devices disclosed in the Howes '873 patent, which permits infusion of a plurality of fluids into a patient's vein simultaneously through a single catheter without mixing the fluids before entering the bloodstream, while improving the fluid flux rate through each lumen and minimizing sites for the accumulation of deposits of materials likely to initiate clot formation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a venous catheter device with multiple lumens which has these advantages and which also allows improved infusion flow rates of liquids into a vein.
It is an additional object to the present invention to provide a venous catheter device with multiple lumens which can be interchangeably used in a more efficient and reliable manner for the various purposes for which it is designed.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a venous catheter device with multiple lumens which is more forgiving during infusion processes in the event an improper pressure differential, flow rate or drug concentration is used.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.